GPs get luxury breaks in recruitiment drive (courtesy of taxpayer)
‘Cash could be spent elsewhere’
GPS are to be offered an all-expenses paid weekend for them and their partners in a luxury hotel as part of a recruitment drive by NHS bosses.
Prospective candidates will be given a night at the Creebridge House Hotel in Minnigaff, wigtownshire, complete with dinner and breakfast at its AA rosette restaurant.
the no-strings attached incentive, posted online by NHS Dumfries and Galloway, also offers Sunday lunch and free tourism information as part of the trip at the end of next month.
it aims to attract five qualified GPs to work at seven surgeries in the area.
it forms part a three-year £2.5million GP Recruitment and Retention Programme set up by the Scottish Government in 2015.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: ‘taxpayers will wonder whether this GP jolly is entirely necessary, especially when this money could be spent elsewhere in the health service.’
the number of GP practices in Scotland dropped from 1,027 in 2007 to 963 in 2016, a fall of 6 per cent.
the advert reads: ‘Dinner, bed and breakfast for you and a partner will be paid for. All we ask is that you share dinner on the Saturday evening with a few local GPs.’
it adds that there will be a lunch on Sunday, saying: ‘we want to make it easy for you to come and experience the beauty and feel-good nature of wigtownshire. Our hope is that you may consider coming to work here.’
it reassures candidates that they are not obliged to apply for a job once the freebie weekend is over.
the advert, which features picturesque landscape photographs of the region, continues: ‘to register for the event, we need assurances from you that you are a fully qualified GP who is actively considering a move within the next year and that you are open-minded about moving to rural wigtownshire.’
the seven surgeries at the centre of the recruitment drive cover newton Stewart, wigtown, Kirkcowan and multiple practices in Stranraer.
As well as encouraging recruits to work in rural and economically deprived areas, the Government scheme is also designed to increase the number of medical students choosing to enter GP training.
But ministers were criticised for failing to tackle the problem when it was disclosed that the number of GPs north of the Border has remained at around 4,900 since 2008.
BMA Scotland GP committee chairman Dr Alan McDevitt said: ‘Many GP practices have struggled with difficulties in recruiting doctors in recent years, leading to vacancies in around one in four practices.
‘the new GP contract that will come into effect next month will address some of the biggest barriers that are putting young doctors off careers in general practice, but exploring innovative new ways of trying to recruit doctors may also help to fill vacant posts.’